


Happy New Year

by Shatterpath



Series: Smut 69 Table & BlackSheildScienceThunder [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Acceptance, F/M, Foursome - F/F/M/M, Multi, Polyfidelity, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-01
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-03-10 00:06:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3269333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shatterpath/pseuds/Shatterpath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Through battle and love, comes acceptance. And Christmas presents are better late than never.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happy New Year

**Author's Note:**

> Note: this picks up right on the heels of the Christmas story.
> 
> This is a lot more rambling and abrupt than I'd meant it to be, but I really wanted to get this done for Polyshipping Day, no matter that I fell into really schmoopy curtain fic! LOL. I blame Superbowl, go Seahawks!

If there was one unshakable truth to a superhero, it was that their lives were ruled by chaos.

Not an hour after returning to the tower, an urgent call went out, interrupting private gift giving, cleaning up from the day, and even a bit of Earth-Asgard diplomacy of the sort one didn't do in public. An eruption of violence had broken out in Los Angeles that smacked of things beyond the normal human experience and that was precisely the sort of thing the Avengers were there for. Jane was stoic but wet-eyed as her lovers threw themselves into the clothing that defined them as 'Not Hers'.

"Hold up, doll," Steve murmured to her as they squashed Jane into the middle of a long hug.

"We'll be home to finish this up soon," Natasha added.

"We will keep one another safe."

It was Thor's words that lingered loudest in her mind, long after she watched the SHEILD helijet vanish into the night sky. From each of them, she clung to a small reminder; the tiny, elaborate knife Thor had handed her with no explanation—though she suspected there was more to it—Steve's favorite shirt flung around her small torso, Nat's Christmas hat pulled over her ears. Pepper was stoic, long accustomed to the difficult routine and even Darcy remained subdued. A clearly irritated and frustrated Sif had finagled an invitation to the battle, which was for the best.

The news was chilling, what little of it Jane caught, avoiding televisions and the outside world to save her sanity. Entire neighborhoods were flattened, the death toll climbing and still the common person on the street, civil services and The Avengers fought on. But, with time, good triumphed and the three women found themselves glued to the TV to watch a battered Steve reassure the public by using the media's attentions. Tony, Bruce and both spies were distinctly missing from the impromptu conference.

They all jumped when Pepper's phone rang moments later.

"Tony?" she answered urgently and sagged with relief at the tinny response on the other end. "I'm so glad you're okay. Just give me a sec, so that Jane and Darcy can hear too."

"Hey, cavalry," Tony's voice greeted them, electronically distorted a bit, but his warm tone crystal clear. "Sorry we haven't been able to keep in touch, but that reactor keeping all communications down was a tricky one. We're all alive and kickin', if not battered and exhausted. Oh, hey, Nat. Yeah, of course."

"Jane?"

It was only then that Jane burst into tears. For her packmate sounded exactly as Tony had described, battered and exhausted, but alive and kickin'.

"Jane. _Babushka_ , we're okay. The boys are cleaning up and I'm bruised up, but fine. Shhhh, darling, it's all right."

Wherever Natasha found the sweet tenderness in her damaged soul, it worked and Jane quieted, clinging to Pepper's phone. 

"Ok," she whispered. "I miss you."

"We miss you too, doll," Natasha replied and the smile in her voice in using Steve's slang was echoed faintly on Jane's face. "I'll get SHIELD to wrangle the rest of the gang soon and we'll head back. They can debrief us on the trip. You'll have us all back soon, all of you."

There was a bit more, but Jane barely heard it, too exhausted to fight Darcy bossing her into lying down on the couch to pillow her head on the younger woman's leg. Big, gentle hands woke her from a black sleep and she sat bolt upright, looking around wildly.

"Hey, hey," Steve soothed, his smile pale in the dimness of the common room. "Just me, Sweets."

Despite her stiffness from passing out on the couch, Jane threw her arms around Steve's neck and curled her body into his as he picked her up. With murmured voices, she was once more amidst her own, Thor pressing in close, Natasha's body and hands on her, all of their tensions beginning to drain away. Her Avengers smelled like vagabonds, filth and smoke and violence sticking to them like a second skin. She couldn't have cared less, kissing each of their halfheartedly-scrubbed faces to feel their weary smiles.

"A quick bath, you filthy dogs, and then I want to cuddle the whole damn bunch of you if I have to dislocate my shoulders to do it."

Once it had been established that the poly foursome was stable, they'd let Tony modify quarters appropriately. The suite had four smaller rooms for each of them to have some private space, and a plain bathroom separate from a gigantic master suite bigger than the living space they'd each started out with in the tower. Multiple closets and plenty of places to sit or get dressed at and an opulent bathroom with two separate toilet rooms and a bath/shower big enough for four completed the soothing space.

"I gotta shave tomorrow," Steve groused as he gave Thor a hand with his armor. "I feel scruffy and itchy."

Jane hissed in sympathy as she began stripping a surprisingly compliant Natasha and the aforementioned bruises were revealed in all their glory. The skintight SHIELD jumpsuit and translucent Asgardian body armor were soon discarded and the women sank gratefully into the hot bath Jarvis had started for them before they'd walked into their suite. Even Thor's great strength had been taxed by their adventure and he moved lethargically with the lack of urgency he could finally give into. Finally stripped, the men crawled into the hot tub-like bath to cuddle up on either side of the women and snuggled into Jane, who cradled Natasha's larger frame in her lap, happily smushed by them, and beginning to relax further.

They were home and they were safe.

After a soak and lots of sleepy cuddles, Jane ensured her heroes were clean enough to be allowed in the covers, intending to bully them into more thorough scrubbings later. Then the great, oversized bed was once more their haven. Steve sprawled out loosely on his back and Natasha draped herself down his side, Jane spooning to her and Thor to Jane. For a long time Jane lay among their larger bodies as they unwound slowly into healing sleep. To each she whispered of love and thankfulness as they slipped away. Steve as his hard muscles unwound beneath the hand she'd reached out to lay on his belly, Thor half suffocating her with his bulk, Natasha warm and smooth against her belly and breasts.

For a long time, Jane held vigil over them, the chorus of breath, the soft snores, the toned bodies loosened in rest. She nuzzled Nat's bright hair and relished the warmth of Thor's long mane falling over her neck and smiled at Steve's tousled locks sticking up crazily from the bath. She'd asked herself a million times if the stress was worth it, ever since the Bifrost had dissipated in New Mexico's bright sky and kept Thor from her for too long, ever since she'd accepted that having Natasha and Steve in their bed was more than just carnal fun. The last week had brought all of those mixed feelings back, but they always ended up being unfounded. These people were her loved ones, her playmates, her friends. They let her take care of them and cared for her in turn.

That the whole lot of them were smokin' hot certainly didn't hurt any.

Smiling to herself, warm and more than a little dirty, Jane wiggled a bit more comfortably into Thor and buried her nose in Nat's hair, at last ready to give in to sleep.

The night was an odd one, each of them startled awake by seemingly every movement, edgy from battle and separation. Steve getting up to use the restroom, Jane's muttering agitatedly in her sleep, Natasha crawling over Thor to curl back to back with him so her body could be cooler than being in the middle. All ordinary things that would normally garner little more than a warrior's acknowledgement that theirs were still safe and close, but their raw nerves overreacted to.

Thor was the first to truly wake, not be merely startled to half-consciousness. In an instant he had taken in the sounds of the familiar space around him, the beloved people held within it. His lovely, formidable Jane, her smallness trapped between his bulk and Steve's, hard and smooth beneath Thor's open hand and Natasha's compact body a feline curl against his back. All of them he had missed so much, alone in the opulent and achingly familiar surroundings of Asgard, his home no longer.

His home was here, amidst this symphony of breath and skin and heart.

Roused by the small changes in his breath and body, Natasha unwound, stretching her body along his and rubbing the back of her head against his shoulder. The faint breath of discomfort was almost missed, but Thor was far more astute than many gave him credit for. With the ease of practice, he gathered himself to lever his torso away from Jane, grabbing a blanket to replace his warmth and slithering to the foot of the bed. Natasha squeaked in surprise when he grabbed her ankle to drag her after him. Smiling, he held her lower half aloft in one big hand, leaning over to rub his battle-roughened bearded face over her torso. A deliberate press of his nose to a livid bruise turned her murmur of appreciation to a hiss of conflicted emotion, but there was no mistaking the hard grip of those small, deadly hands in his messy hair, the curl of her battered body towards the tease he offered her. 

Strong legs wound around his chest-- no idle threat-- and Thor easily levered their combined weight from the bed, Natasha providing distraction by yanking his head back so that she could kiss him roughly.

"You've need to appreciate your battle scars, Natasha?" he murmured softly into her mouth and she heard herself groan. It was rare he spoke her name as he was prone to affectionate nicknames, and hearing her name in his rich, cultured tones was special. There was a huge part of her that wanted to sass and obfuscate to conceal the vulnerability of her need, but Natasha set that aside with careful deliberation. Her pack had provided her with a safe space to explore who she really was, a luxury never fully realized, and she would not squander that.

With stumbling steps, Thor made his way to the bathing room, not wanting to give up the heady kisses to watch where he placed his feet. After some experimentation, it was decided to put up some sound insulation, so that potential sleepers in the other room might not be disturbed. Oh, not everything was masked, that was potentially dangerous, but the popular space could suit a variety of carnal needs.

Thor didn't knock Natasha into the wall so much as press her there with his greater mass, to which she was both grateful and disappointed. Part of her wanted to burn off the acrid taste of adrenaline and danger in her blood with the safe violence of her playmate, but mostly she was just sore and jittery and bone-tired, despite the black sleep. The rough kiss was more than welcome though, perfect accompaniment to the hard hands cupped around her ass and upper thighs. With her shoulders braced hard to the wall, Natasha could yank as hard as she wanted to the luxurious blonde tresses; lose herself for a bit in carnality. Moaning a bit and near-growling, the seemingly mismatched lovers acquainted themselves once more, stress bleeding away in the heat. By the time Natasha sank down on the rigid cock teasing her, it was more mutual relief than easy pleasure, the rush of orgasm hard and fast.

"Much better than battle," Thor murmured and she laughed, kissing him more leisurely for a moment.

"Oh, not always, but in this case, I agree. Shower?"

"Shower."

With some of the edge taken off, the bathing was even better, hands wandering in the hot spray. It didn't take too long before a sleepy-eyed Jane dragged in a bleary Steve and the cleaning of their physical selves turned into a loving free for all.

"You'd think you three would have found some time to slink off and take the edge off," Jane teased warmly where she later lay curled up on Thor's chest while Natasha pillowed Steve's head where they all sprawled out on the benches built right into the gigantic shower. Her superheroes smiled, but there was a faint brittleness there that would take a bit longer to melt away.

"You don't like that we brought the heat of battle back to you?"

Surprisingly, it was Steve that offered the teasing words as he continued to languidly stroke Natasha's skin. The others huffed quietly with humor and Jane poked him with dexterous toes. "So, I miss your cooking, gentlemen, and we've Christmas to finish up."

"I need a haircut," Natasha added distractedly, giggling faintly when Steve pulled her into his lap to be fussed over. As that included his big hands gently rubbing shampoo into her hair, she willingly soaked it up. Jane did the same for Thor, making Steve grin when she smoothed a sudsy hand over his head in passing caress. Once thoroughly cleaned, they dried one another and climbed into casual, soft clothing before heading out to the kitchen in a peaceful quiet. The women lounged at the breakfast bar with orange juice and watched their mates cook. Jane made a specific effort to press a knee casually into Natasha's leg and to smile at Thor and Steve whenever she caught their eye. Never in a million years would she have pictured herself here, as part of this odd, loving unit, warmed by acceptance from people she loved and respected, who offered her the same in return. Some days it was still so odd to her that they, these extraordinary people so far above being normal as to barely be real, needed her too.

Natasha basked in the loving attention, be it subtle or over the top, that warmed her after a lifetime of deprivations and violence. Like any abused child having found a safe haven, she made a wonderful companion, finding love and gentleness in the once-dusty parts of herself.

Steve and Thor carried a pair of plates apiece to the dining table, the former giving Natasha a mock glare as she stole a few morsels with her ninja skills. "Brat," he admonished fondly. "Sit and eat your breakfast like a good girl and we can finish up presents."

Grinning coquettishly, she stood up on her toes to kiss him lingeringly, stealing the plate out of his hand when he was good and distracted. Jane and Thor didn't even bother to hide their amusement. They all understood that they silliness was a way of bleeding off the stress that never fully went away, a way to settle into their skins as a family, not as companions in battle and their one member forever fated to be left behind. Conversation was stilted only in that none of them had anything terribly positive to say about the past week, but they strove to find something. Mostly it was the women hashing out Jane's science as Thor still struggled with terminology and Steve strengths were rarely hard science. Finally, Jane tossed aside her napkin and stood with intent, instantly catching the attention of the others.

"Presents, you studs, the dishes can wait."

Natasha grinned like a child, particularly when Jane leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. "You too, good girl."

Where the pillow fort had lain all those days ago, the living room had mostly been put back to rights, though a massive pillow that was an early gift from Pepper to Natasha had left the coffee table to the side, and the tree stood silent sentinel. The morning city was a still tableau the day after New Years, only a few helicopters moving against the leaden sky. When Jane threw the switch, the tiny tree lights twinkled bravely in the dull light, tiny points of cheer to the four. Her superheroes settled in, perfectly happy to let her boss them about for the moment, eager for the gifts around the tree.

It was as good a fun as the gifting had been with their teammates and friends, a mix of sweet and silly and thoughtful. Highlights were the fancy stuffed animals in adorable outfits from Natasha, who squirmed with mixed feelings about them until the others expressed unfeigned delight and she was all smiles again. Jane had made all four of them canvases from an internet company that turned voice prints into art. Each was similar in its generalities, the words 'I love you' trapped in jagged lines like a heartbeat monitor. They were fascinated at the differences in their voices, caught in a variety of bright colors that looked even better as a set. Steve both received a stack of clothes-- ignoring Natasha's teasing him about his 'grampa clothes'-- and gifted some himself in turn. Jane giggled hysterically as she told the other two about dragging him to a lingerie shop to find some lovely things for Natasha as well as silky boxers for Thor, and being embarrassed at the public nature of the event. She too was sweetly embarrassed at the frilly things he'd noticed her idly looking at and purchased them because he knew she would not. Thor got a collection of unusual coffees, Steve a mass of art supplies, Jane a small antique telescope they'd tracked down, Natasha a selection of fuzzy things to wear around the apartment, the outstanding favorite being a trio of fleecy jammie pants with built in footies with sturdy rubber ribs along the soles for grip. The Halloween print with purple spiders against a black background made her grin wryly and change right there in the living room. As he had done for the others, Thor had brought elegant Asgardian finery for his loved ones, gowns and tunics and capes in rich colors, exotic metal breastplates each tailored to their individual bodies. Each of them tried on various combinations of the clothing to various levels of hilarity. It ended being a tossup between Thor's emerald silk boxers and green flannel shirt and Jane with her new lingerie peeking out from behind the metal corset, set off by the striped drawstring lounge pants.

Once they wound down into a comfortable quiet, Steve spoke up quietly. "So, Sif was good battlefield company and might be feeling out of sorts this morning. Are we ready for some company?"

"Pants first, Thor," Jane added wryly and dragged him off to the bedroom, both of them chuckling.

"Hey Jarvis?"

"Yes, Captain Rodgers?"

"Would you please extend an invitation to Lady Sif to join us in our home for some relaxed socializing?"

"Very good, sir."

Natasha pouted about being drafted into KP, but set the dirties in the dishwasher anyway, leaving the few things to be scrubbed to Steve's big hands. The chime of the door was nearly lost in Thor's booming laughter from the bedroom, Natasha flashing a grin and going for the door.

"Good to see you, Sif," Natasha greeted the tall Asgardian, who smiled. "Particularly under better circumstances. I see you brought a friend."

The dry comment promised endless teasing and Clint shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"And a good morning to you as well, Natasha. Clint was helping me… decompress and I could only assume that his presence would be welcomed as well."

Slipping past Sif, Natasha planted her hands on Clint's back and shoved them both through the door. "Oh, his presence is very welcome! I do love a good target to torment."

Clint only groaned as Thor and Jane rejoined them, the latter on the phone. "Okay, Darcy, have fun spending that juicy Christmas bonus! Be careful. Of course I worry, you goof! Alright then, I'll see you later. Bye!"

"Shopping therapy," Natasha nodded. "Good way to unwind now that she's got a paycheck."

Jane gave her a wry look and then smiled winningly at Sif. "The evil red head is no longer my favorite, so come on in."

Blinking for a moment, Sif picked up on the teasing and burst out laughing as the tiny scientist dragged her into the apartment and Natasha mockingly rolled her eyes.

For a time, the group lazed about, enjoying being under no stress and enjoying Clint and Natasha snarking at one another. When a mostly comfortable quiet had naturally fallen over them, Thor leveled a serious but kind look at his fellow Asgardian. "You've something to say, old friend."

Suddenly uncomfortable, Sif refrained from squirming, but her conflicted expression spoke volumes. "Indeed. I feel I must confess that I came here under, perhaps false pretenses is too strong of words, but certainly with less than positive purpose. For that, I apologize. Not just to you, Thor, but your family and your compatriots in arms. I did not take your feelings seriously, nor your tales of the life that you have made here. I have seen that I was wrong and I hope that I can earn forgiveness. From all of you."

No one had missed her conflicted feelings, nor her change of heart.

"An apology is always welcome," Jane spoke up, quiet and firm. "Thank you for that, Sif. And for watching their backs out there."

Her warriors nodded and Steve spoke up next. "We were nervous about being so… public about this relationship to someone outside our own."

"We were nervous about our own initially too," Natasha added quietly and snuggled down more snugly into Steve, her feet draped over Thor's lap. "Now we just have to hope none of the ravenous gossip mongers that infest this modern age get wind of this."

All six of them winced at the thought.

"Yes, I can understand a certain reluctance to leave these walls and how you must be leery of your behavior. A shame, that." No one was going to argue with Sif's observation and she shook off the melancholy to speak up with more cheer. "If I can be of help, you must tell me. Any of you. Battling beside all of you has slain any of my doubts of your worthiness of respect and friendship. I include you in that, Jane. For I may not understand your science, but the respect of your peers and loved ones is proof enough for me."

That pleased and embarrassed Jane, who stifled a giggle at Thor brushing kisses to her neck amidst a bear hug. Things grew easier after that, the cleared air easing the last of the tensions among old friends and new. Sif was delighted at a standing invitation from Steve as team leader, grasping his forearm as an equal. It was a good note to end things on, to decompress after battle and separation and hardship, leaving the whole gang of them-- and the others when they joined them later-- in positive moods.

All in all, the start of a good New Year.


End file.
